Skinner v. First Union National Bank (In Re Skinner)

213 B.R. 335, 1997 Bankr. LEXIS 1930, 1997 WL 597549
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Tennessee
DecidedSeptember 23, 1997
Docket19-21350
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 213 B.R. 335 (Skinner v. First Union National Bank (In Re Skinner)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Skinner v. First Union National Bank (In Re Skinner), 213 B.R. 335, 1997 Bankr. LEXIS 1930, 1997 WL 597549 (Tenn. 1997).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION ON CROSS MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

JENNIE D. LATTA, Bankruptcy Judge.

Before the court are cross motions for summary judgment filed by the plaintiff, Emory Gettice Skinner, Jr. (“Skinner”) and the defendant, First Union National Bank (“First Union”). The plaintiffs complaint, as amended, alleges that he is entitled to the return of his 1989 GMC Sierra pickup truck which is in the possession of the defendant Sheriff of Humphreys County (“Sheriff’) pursuant to a writ of execution issued for the benefit of First Union; that he may avoid the judicial lien of First Union; and that any purported voluntary transfer of his interest in the truck to First Union may be avoided as a preferential transfer. First Union avers that the debtor voluntarily transferred title *337 in the truck to First Union prior to the commencement of his bankruptcy case and thus is not entitled to compel the turnover of the truck. The Sheriff has neither answered the complaint nor responded to the plaintiffs motion for summary judgment. For the reasons stated below, the court will grant the plaintiffs motion for summary judgment and deny the defendant’s motion. This memorandum shall constitute findings of fact and conclusions of law in accordance with Fed. R. BankrP. 7052. This is a core proceeding. 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(A), (E), (F) and (0).

I. FACTS

The undisputed facts may be summarized as follows. The debtor is indebted to First Union as the result of credit card charges. The debt was reduced to judgment in the amount of $8,763.58 plus court costs on November 13, 1995 in the General Sessions Court of Shelby County, Tennessee. In April of 1997, First Union caused a writ of execution on the judgment to be issued directing the Sheriff to levy upon the debtor’s truck. The Sheriff took possession of the truck in late April or early May of 1997. On May 16, 1997, Skinner filed a motion to quash the execution which was denied by the General Sessions court. The parties believe that the truck remains in the possession of the Sheriff pending the outcome of this proceeding.

The debtor commenced his bankruptcy case on June 13, 1997, by filing a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 13 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. The debtor admits that a short time prior to the filing of his bankruptcy case, he signed the back of the certificate of title to the truck as “Seller” and delivered it to First Union. On July 28, 1997, the debtor commenced this adversary proceeding by filing his “Plaintiffs Complaint to Compel Turnover of Certain Property From Defendant And to Set Aside Transfer Under 11 U.S.C. § 544 And Avoid Judicial Lien Under 11 U.S.C. § 522.” The debtor subsequently amended his complaint to add allegations that the Sheriff is a custodian and is required to turn over the vehicle pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §§ 543, 541(l)(a) and 542; that the vehicle is subject to turnover pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 542; that if the judicial lien is considered a statutory lien, it is subject to avoidance pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 545; and that if the signing of the back of the certificate of title is considered a “transfer,” the transfer is subject to avoidance pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 547.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Is the Debtor Entitled to the Return of the Vehicle?

1. Is the Sheriff the “Custodian” of the Vehicle ?

The term “custodian” is defined for purposes of the Bankruptcy Code at section 101(11) as follows:

(11) “custodian” means—
(A) receiver or trustee of any property of the debtor, appointed in a case or proceeding not under this title;
(B) assignee under a general assignment for the benefit of the debtor’s creditors; or
(C) trustee, receiver or agent under applicable law, or under a contract, that is appointed or authorized to take charge of property of the debtor for the purpose of enforcing a hen against such property, or for the purpose of general administration of such property for the benefit of the debtor’s creditors.

11 U.S.C. § 101(11).

The Sheriff is not a receiver or trustee of the debtor’s property; he or she is not an assignee under a general assignment for the benefit of the debtor’s creditors; he or she has not been appointed to take charge of the debtor’s property for the purpose of general administration of such property for the benefit of the debtor’s creditors. If the Sheriff is a custodian, it is because he or she is an agent appointed to take charge of the property of the debtor for the purpose of enforcing a hen against such property.

2. Is There a Lien Against the Debtor’s Vehicle which the Sheriff Was Appointed to Enforce?

In order to determine whether there is hen upon the debtor’s vehicle which it is the *338 Sheriffs duty to enforce, it is first necessary to briefly review the law in Tennessee concerning the collection of judgments. The writ of execution is the customary vehicle for enforcing money judgments in Tennessee. Keep Fresh Filters, Inc. v. Reguli, 888 S.W.2d 437, 443 (Tenn.Ct.App.1994). See Tenn.Code. Ann. § 26-1-103. The writ of execution is “an order directing the sheriff to levy upon and sell the judgment debtor’s property identified in the writ that is not statutorily exempt.” Keep Fresh Filters, 888 S.W.2d at 443. The modern writ of execution is derived from the common law writ of fieri facias. John C. Baugh, Enforcement of Judgments In Tennessee, 22 Tenn. L.Rev. 873, 873 (1953). The term “fieri facias” means literally, “cause (it) to be done.” Blacks Law Dictionary 565 (5th ed.1979). The writ commands the sheriff to levy and make the amount of the judgment from the goods and chattels of the judgment debtor. Keep Fresh Filters, 888 S.W.2d at 443. Thus the sheriff is authorized by the writ not only to levy upon the goods of the judgment debt- or, but also to sell them for the benefit of the judgment creditor. See 12 Tenn. Juris., Executions § 33, p. 124 (1984).

A levy of execution is:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
213 B.R. 335, 1997 Bankr. LEXIS 1930, 1997 WL 597549, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/skinner-v-first-union-national-bank-in-re-skinner-tnwb-1997.